Bill:
No kidding. Fenway hasn't seen that many touchdowns since the Boston Patriots called it home in '63.

Bill:
Funny thing is, when it got to 10-0 in the bottom of the first, all of of sudden I had a brief flashback to a game in the late 80s when the Sox went up 11-0 over the Jays in the first inning and ended up losing.

Bill:
But I dismissed because, you know, crap like that doesn't happen anymore with the Red Sox.

Doug:
And in the end, it didn't happen, thankfully, because if I feel this lousy aftah the win, I can't even imagine the depths of my despair had Youks not come through with his field goal through the uprights.

Doug:
Can we even call what he was throwing a "knuckleball"? Knucklahs aren't supposed to have much or any rotation — But what Zink was tossing out there last night has more spin than a whirling dervish.

Bill:
To be fair, he was fine up until the 5th and it was his first big league staht and he was on only 3 days rest.

Doug:
Yeah, well, nobody said life in the MLB is fair. Eithah you perform or you don't.

Comments

Urg. What a long, strange trip that was last night.

I was doing some work at Pete's (really), and would glance up at the TV every now and then and say, "what the f---?"

Last night remonded me of a game we played several years ago against the Manny-lead Indians. They went up 9-0 in the first, and I told my buddy, "we're going to win this thing. One run an inning, baby."

And we did. Then I made the 10-year-old Indians fan sitting with his mother next to us cry. Evil? Perhaps, but very satisfying.

Someone forgot to remind the boys in white last night that baseball is not a game of "who sucks less".

I remember that game against the Jays in the late '80s. I was on summer break at my parents' place in Florida, and for some reason the game was on TV. They actually ended up leading 13-2, then Bob Stanley started warming up in the bullpen and I turned to my dad and said "that's it, we're losing this thing". He derided my lack of loyalty and confidence, but then again he was a Pats fan who had no use for baseball, so he hadn't been paying attention in 1986.

It was because of that day that when Stanley announced his retirement a couple years later, my dad called me at my college dorm and had me tracked down from the far end of campus to get the call. I thought someone in the family had died, but no, dad wanted to make sure I got the happy news. :)

I've read a fair amount of whines about last night's game (e.g. Buckley)--give me a break. Over the course of the season, there'll be ugly wins and pretty losses. In the ugly wins, all I want is at least some entertainment and a good faith effort. Using those criteria, this had to be the best ugly win I've ever seen in any sport (the Ortiz homers and ersatz homer, Pedroia's five hits, Oki looking somewhat useful, the Rangers leaving Feldman out there to take one for the team, Crisp's almost catch, Bay reminding me that a left fielder can beat out a double play ball, Youkilis moaning after striking out twice in a ten run inning and making up for it with two homers). I remember the late 80's loss to Toronto --now that was painful. But last night--well, I'll take one of those a year any day. (Okay, but only one).

First of all, nice reference to the Pats playing in Fenway hb. I saw them beat the Bronco in Fenway in 1963. It was something like 40-17, Pats, if i recall correctly.

Anyway, I have been rather supportive of the team this year, but that thing last night shook me to by bones. I know, baseball's a funny game and all that, but you have to mix in a little pitching and defense, but, whatever.

I don't know why, but all the relievers remind me of Dennis Lamp. That can't be good, can it?

BTW, hb, your "No strip today" comic with the dashes before the name seems to have fubared your template for listing recent posts on the upper left of the page. Not only is the css/formatting completely fubared but none of the newer posts (like yesterday's) are being added above it either. This may or may not be related to that but each day's strip is the only one on the main page now too. The previous strip disappears from the front page when the new one is published unlike previously. I have a feeling you flipped a switch on that when you posted the really long strip "You better sit down..." to keep the page length in check, but now it's sorta ...stark.

"Yeah, well, if you find as reason, be sure to pass it along, mmm-kay?"

I've got ya covered: Sean Casey gets to hit more. He's been quite amazing, so I kinda figure he can only go down, but I like the guy as much as one can like a complete stranger, and it'll be fun to watch him swing (though our defense definitely suffers).

I have a confession to make: I thought yesterday's game was fun. It's the unpredictability of the game that makes it so wonderful. When you walk under that lovely old red brick facade with the numbers 1903 1904 1912 1915 fluttering above your head, when you are confronted by the greenest, indescribable green, you just don't know what you are going to get: you might see no hits at all, you might watch a long, desperate farce. That's the beauty of it. If every game was like that, I think we would lose interest very quickly but once in a blue moon, its fun. 'Tis not over 'til its over etc. [And Okajima san* got the win!!]